Bottle warmer



May 13, 1952 D. A. DURHAM ET AL BOTTLE WARMER Filed Feb. 18, 1948Donn-0000 nonnonoe OUBUDO O UDDUDOOO OUBBDODU bun-B6500 :4-llllilllllilll- Patented May 13, 1952 BOTTLE WARMER Dorothy A. Durhamand Hobart N. Durham, New York, N. Y.

Application February 18, 1948, Serial No. 9,124

3 Claims. (01. 126263) The present invention relates to a novel andimproved warmer for baby's bottles.

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in parthereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom, or may be learned bypractice with the invention, the same being realized and attained bymeans of the instrum-entalities and combinations pointed out in theappended claims.

The invention consists in the novel parts, constr-uotions, arrangements,combinations and improvements herein shown and described.

The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a parthereof, illustrate one embodiment of the invention, and together withthe description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a preferred and illustrative embodimentof the present invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical section showing the heater as applied to a usualform of nursing bottle;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary section taken on the line l4 of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detail section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure1.

The present invention has for its object the provision of a novel andimproved bottle warmer which is portable, economical and produces apredetermined ouantity of heat. A further object is the provision of abottle warmer whi h is safe and simple in operation, can be u e' underall conditions, and is rapid in operation.

According to the present invention. a bottle Warmer is providedcomprising a flexible sheet of metal or other im ervious materialadapted to hold a plurality of exothermic heating units which arereplaceably held in the sheet. the sheet being formed so as to locatethe heating units and also so as to allow the flexible sheet to bewrapped around the bottle to be heated and secured in tubular formduring the heating operation, holding the heating units in contact withthe bottle and to prevent circulation of air around the bottle. Theflexible sheet is preferably of much lower heat capacity than the bottleto be heated so that the steam generated during the heating of theexothermic units is preferentially condensed on the surface of thebottle, thereby transferring most of the heat by direct contact with thebottle and thereby to the contents. During operation, the open top ofthe tubularly formed flexible sheet is closed", as j by a flat sheet toprevent excessive circulation of air.

It will be understood that the foregoing general description and thefollowing detailed description as well are exemplary and explanatory ofthe invention but are not restrictive thereof.

Referring now in detail to the illustrative embodiment of the inventionasshown in the accompanying drawings, there is provided a sheet of thinimpervious material H], such as polished sheet aluminum, about .003" to'.006" thick. Means are provided on the i nsid e face of the sheet Illfor securing in place a plurality of exothermic heating units l 2;preferably close to the bottom edge of the sheet 10 and in suitablyspaced apart relation, so the units l2 are uniformly spaced when theunits It! and sheet [0 are wrapped about the bottle to be heated and incontact therewith. For this purpose, the lower edge of the sheet I0 isformed as a shallow trough M to receive the bottom edges of theexothermic heating units l 2.

The heating units l2 may be of different forms, but are preferably smallthin flexible envelopes filled with an exothermic composition adapted togive off heat at a moderate rate when moistened,

and may be constructed in accordance with the prior patent to Evans &McDonough, No. 2,151,692, while the composition may be in accordancewith the patent to Evans & McDonough, Reissue 22,660, or any othersuitable composition and structure. In the preferred form, theexothermic pad is formed with a perforated face, ada ted to bepositioned towards the bottle to be hea ed and to be covered with a webabsorbent sheet I8 which supplies moisture to cause reaction of theexotherm c composition.

In order to permit wrap ing of he flexible sheet l0 and exothermic unitsl2 about the bottle 23, the trough-like edge I4 is crimped at spacedpoints 22 between the units ['2 and is slotted as at 24 midway of theuni s l2, thereby allowing the units l2 and trough M to bend withoutcrimping the metal which would otherwise occur and would in erfere withreplacement of the units 12. shown, the metal sheet in and units I2normally bend along vertical lines extendin'; from the crimped portions22 and the slots 24. thereby conforming the tubular sheet to the generalexterior of the conventional hexagonal or cylindrical bottle 20.

Figure 2 shows the device of the present invention in use for heating anursing bottle. As shown, the bottle 20 is resting on a saucer 26 orOFFICE.

other support. Against it are held a plurality of the web absorbentsheets [8, and the associated heating units 12 held in position in thetrough l4, metal sheet l0 being wrapped into a tube to hold the units l2tightly against the surface of the bottle 29 near its bottom. The metalsheet I0 is held in tubular form by any suitable means such asrubber-bands around the tube, and the tube is closed at the top bymeans. of a flat sheet 28 so as to preventloss of heat.

The low mass of the sheet l0 and its heat reflectivity allows it to heatmore rapidly than the bottle. It soon reaches a sufliciently high temperature so that in the small air space between the sheet In and thebottle 2.0 the steam generated by the units I2 preferentially condenseson the bottl transferring heat t0 the bottle. {llhe units l2 alsotransfer heat by conduction to the bottle 20.

Instead of rubber-bands to hold the sheet H] to tubular form, hookportio s- 30 may be formed integrally with the sheet I D by punching,the hooks being adapted to underlie and engage in registering aperturedslots 32 so as to form reas le hook and eye connections holding the tubeclosed.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specificmechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefromwithin the scope of the accompanying claims w thout epa tin from the prnciples of the i vention and without sacrificing its chief advanin t-What is eleimesl is: v

A bottle warmer iccmrrisins a flexible. im-

pervious metal sheet of low heat capacity, means on the lower part ofone face of said sheet to receive and hold a plurality of thin,flexible, exothermic heating units on the lower part of the sheet saidunits being adapted to generate steam upon addition of water thereto andmeans for holding the flexible sheet wrapped as a tube dapted to eceiv abottle to be heat d w the heating units incontactwith the bottle,whereby the bottle warmer when closed will permit a transfer of heat bythe condensation of the steam on the bottle.

'2. A bottle warmer according to claim 1 in which one edge of the metalsheet is formed as a trough to receive the flexible heating units.

' 3. A bottle warmer according to claim 2 in the. edge Ierrning thetrough is provided with alternate crimped and. slotted portions.

DOROTHY A. DURHAM. HOBART N. DURHAM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references. are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UN ITEflD STATES PATENTS

